Tired
by Estopher
Summary: He thinks you should watch out for yourself a little more. (Shane/Farmer) (Unnamed, gender-neutral farmer) (First Written: 2 Nov 2016)


Exhaustion is beginning to set in. You toe off your boots slowly, drag yourself up the few steps up into your cramped little living room. You can hardly keep your eyes open; the mines had been swarmed with monsters the past few days, and you could barely keep up with the demands of killing them that came along with it. Dumping your bag and your sword onto the floor, you immediately start making your way to the bedroom, but a spicy scent in the air makes you stop - you hadn't even noticed the lights in the kitchen were on, needless to say, you hadn't even noticed Shane bustling about.

"Babe?" you call as you change directions, moving toward the open kitchen with a little more energy than previous.

Shane snaps to attention, his knee-jerk reaction making him drop the egg he was holding into the sink. "Goddammit…" he mutters as he picks out the shells and lets the rest drip down the drain. "When did you get home?"

You're more amused than anything else; you lean up against the counter farthest from Shane and watch him quickly rinse out the sink. "Just now… did you not hear the front door? Silly man."

Shane snorts and turns around to look at you. The smile he wears at first drops at the sight. "Damn, you look rough."

"Thanks, I love hearing that."

He shushes you gently. "You been out at the mines all day again?" He's not angry, just curious.

And worried, if the tightness of his shoulders tells you anything. He moves towards you slowly, and you stand up straight to meet his embrace - the way he holds you is delicate, like glass. You slump against him. "Yeah… slimes are actually pretty creepy if you look at 'em for too long."

"I can imagine," Shane murmurs, rubbing his cheek against the top of your head. "You gotta stop pushing yourself like this…"

"I know, I'm sorry." You pull away from him a bit to look him in the eye. "But if I don't get rid of all the slimes, who will?"

Shane runs a thumb under one of your eyes, frowning at the near bruised color. "What about those adventuring guild guys up there?"

"Babe, they're so old…"

That makes him smile a little, and you smile back tiredly in return. "I could start coming with you?" He offers.

At first, you smile, because your husband can be so considerate (sometimes). But then… Horrible images come to mind. Shane, cornered by a large skeleton wielding a sharp makeshift sword made of its own bone. Shane, with slimes attached to his leg as he tries to beat them off with his fists, his weapon halfway across the floor. Shane. Battered and bloody after taking too many hits at one time. "No."

"...No?" Shane looks bemused, your answer coming out harsher than you intended. "Why?"

You shove your face back into his shoulder, ignoring the light pulls to your clothes that tells you he wants to look at your face for this. "It's too dangerous."

Shane scoffs; he gives up trying to get you to look at him, so he wraps his arms back around you, tightly. "You're always going in alone. _That's_ pretty fucking dangerous."

He's got you there. But… "I'd feel much better if you stayed here. It's inspiration to… fight harder, you know? Knowing I have someone so scruffy and handsome waiting for me back home."

Shane finally tilts your head back so he can look at you, and you see the worried expression he wears. "But what if you don't even come back home, doll? What am I..?" He closes his eyes and rests his forehead against yours. "What am I supposed to do if that happens?"

Oh, he makes your heart ache in so many different ways. You feel guilt at the thought of him waiting anxiously for you to return home, sitting folded in on himself in a corner of the couch. "I'm sorry…" you mutter, and kiss the corner of his mouth gently. "I'm sorry I make you worry all the time."

"You damn well better be," he grunts, which makes you laugh. "You're so important to me, you know that…"

You kiss him again, and smile against him. "I do. And I cherish you."

"Stop, you're embarrassing me."

"You say affectionately."

"Don't caption what I say!"

You laugh loudly, which sets him off as well. You hold his face in your hands and kiss him several more times, one after the other, between fits of tired laughter.

He kisses you back softly before taking to rubbing his face against yours, making you shriek and complain at the roughness. "Come on… let's get you to bed."

As your giggles die down and you're being pushed to the bedroom at the other side of the house, you say, "But what about the meal you were cooking?"

Shane stops in his tracks. "... I'll be in bed in a minute. You go." He rushes back to the kitchen, cursing quietly as you assume he turns off the stove and puts away perishables. You do as he says and walk into your shared bedroom, immediately collapsing onto the mattress, and burrito yourself in the comforter.

You're dozing by the time Shane makes a reappearance; he smiles at the sight of you all snuggled up, and takes care not to disturb you as he climbs into bed on the opposite side of you. You mumble something as he gathers you up into his arms and struggles to get some covers ("It's cold, share." "Mmmphff…).

You snuggle close. He reaches sideways to click off the lamp. "I love you," you whisper.

He pushes his nose into the top of your head. "I love you, too."


End file.
